Jerry Lewis as hit recording artist
It was a showbiz story that has since transitioned into legend. The year was 1956 and comedian Jerry Lewis was on vacation in Las Vegas. He and his partner Dean Martin had just decided to go their separate ways. Martin and Lewis together were big on stage, radio, film and TV and Lewis was despondent, clueless about what to do with his career alone.
Still without an answer, he and his wife Patty were packing up to return to Los Angeles when Jerry got a call. It was Sid Luft, then husband and manager of Judy Garland. Judy had the strep throat and could not perform at a charity event. Could Jerry take her place? It took some convincing on Luft’s part but Jerry finally agreed to do the show. It would be his first time on stage without Martin.
There were about a thousand people in the audience and the uncertain Lewis played with his usual jokes to the sick Judy who was seated in a corner. Then at a loss as to what to do next after almost an hour, he asked the band how Judy usually ends her shows. The answer he got was that Judy sings Rock-A-Bye Your Baby With A Dixie Melody. Play it, Lewis told the band and right then and there, he sang a near-perfect version of the song. He bowed, exited and heard the hall erupt in huge applause. It was then that he knew he would do okay on his own.
I thought of this story when I heard the news last Aug. 20 that Lewis had died in his Las Vegas home at the age of 91. Sad news that somebody is gone but then I think of the great success that Lewis attained as a solo artist and am glad that he was able to share his talent with the world. Not only as an actor and comedian and inspiration for other comics but as a writer, director and humanitarian.
Truth to tell, those few times that I got to watch a Jerry Lewis movie these past years, I had this feeling of sadness that today’s kids and even those from a generation or two ago have not been able to enjoy Lewis’ manic humor and antics. He was a mugging, acrobatic live version of an animated character. As a child, a big treat for me was always a Lewis movie. It was a chance to dress up and be taken to the Avenue Theater where I would laugh out loud and go home thinking of when we will see the next Jerry Lewis flick.
Did you notice Jim Carrey’s beatif- ic, moronic smile? That drew from Lewis. Did you see Eddie Murphy’s The Nutty Professor? That was originally a Lewis movie. Oh and Murphy’s style of playing several characters in his films, Lewis also did that in The Family Jewels where he played seven different uncles. And did you recognize something in The Martian from Lewis’ Visit To A Small Planet?
Lewis wrote, directed and starred and often produced his own films. He has several Best Picture awards from France and Belgium where he is widely idolized and several lifetime achievement honors from various organizations in various countries. He was honored with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for his work with the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Lewis hosted the annual telethon for victims of the disease for 44 years and was able to raise over $2B.
And all those happened because a song gave Lewis his groove back in 1956. It turned out that Lewis’ father, Daniel Lewis, a vaudeville emcee and performer was also an Al Jolson impersonator. Rock-A-Bye Your Baby With A Dixie Melody was one of Jolson’s biggest hits and Lewis grew up knowing the song by heart. In fact, he sang it during his first public appearance when he was five years old.
The second time was when he subbed for Garland and public reaction was so heartwarming he was convinced to record an album of his own. Titled Jerry Lewis Just Sings, this includes Come Rain Or Come Shine, Shine On Your Shoes, How Long Has This Been Going On, I’ve Got The World On A String, Bye Bye Baby, I’m Sitting On Top Of The World, Get Happy, By Myself, Back In Your Own Backyard, Sometimes I’m Happy, Birth Of The Blues, It All Depends On You, Let Me Sing And I’m Happy, My Mammy, With These Hands and, of course, Rock-A-Bye Your Baby With A Dixie Melody.
Music lovers and film buffs, see if you can get a copy. This is a very good album that I immensely enjoyed. Lewis has a wide vocal range and a confident approach to the material. The orchestrations are flawless and those old songs are always fun to listen to. The single sold 1.5 million copies and was in the Top 10 chart for four months. So was the album, which hit No. 4 in the album hit list.